A method of laying a floor

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of laying a floor. The floor is built up of parts butting together with their edges, which are laid on a subfloor. A layer consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is provided on at least part of a subfloor in tautened condition. Parts butting on each other are successively glued onto said layer consisting of a resilient material. The layer consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material may at its upper side be provided with an adhesive layer covered by paper or the like material.

Description: The invention relates to a method of laying a floor as described in the pre-characterising part of claim 1. From FR-A-2 237 035 there is known a method for laying a floor wherein a layer consisting of a sheet of filt covered on both sides with an elastomer is adhered to a subfloor. On said layer there are glued tiles or the like. The purpose of the invention is to obtain a method wherein it is possible to provide the parts, closely butting together, on the subfloor in a simple manner. According to the invention this may be achieved as defined in the characterising part of claim 1. By adhering or glueing the parts generally consisting of wood or the like material entirely or partly on an elastic and/or resilient material layer in a tautened condition it may be achieved that the parts of the upper layer are constantly pulled together under tension by the layer consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, thus preventing the formation of cracks and the like between the parts as a result of shrinking and/or swelling caused by changes in the air humidity. The invention will be explained in more detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying figures, which diagrammatically shows a sectional view of a part of a floor during its laying. The figure shows the usual subfloor 1 present in a building or the like, which is in many cases a concrete floor provided with a finishing layer, but which may for example also be a wooden subfloor or the like. On this subfloor a layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material has been provided. Said sublayer 2 may be a layer, which may or may not be massive, of plastic material and/or rubber having open or closed cells. When being laid on the subfloor 1, covering the subfloor 1 entirely or partly, for example in strips, said layer 2 of an elastic and/or resilient material is pulled quite taut and fixed to the subfloor in its tautened condition. Said fixing to the subfloor 1 of the layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material may be done in an efficient manner by glueing said layer 2 to the floor 1. For this purpose the layer 2 may be provided with an adhesive layer (not shown) on its bottom side, which may be covered by a layer of paper or the like prior to the layer 2 being applied to the floor 1. Furthermore it is possible to partly fix the layer 2 to the subfloor 1 in its tautened condition by means of double-sided adhesive strips, which might be removed after the floor parts have been laid. It is noted that in many cases it is not absolutely necessary to fix the layer 2 to the subfloor 1, since the layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is supplied in already sufficiently tautened condition on paper. At its upper side the layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is provided with an adhesive layer 3, which for the sake of clarity is shown considerably thicker in the Figure than it actually is in reality. Prior to the laying of the floor said adhesive layer is conventionally covered with a protective layer 4 consisting of paper or the like. After the layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, which is covered with the protective layer 4 at its upper side, has been provided on the subfloor 1 in the above-described manner, the paper is pulled off the layer 2 near one end, over a width which approximately corresponds with the width of the first part 5 of the floor, which is subsequently glued to the layer 2 by means of the adhesive layer 3. The pulled-off part of the layer of paper is folded back and laid on top of the part of the layer 4 still adhering to the layer 2. The next part 6 to be provided is laid on said folded-back part of the layer of paper 4 and firmly pressed against the first part 5. When the abutting edges of the parts are provided with a tongue and a groove, as is the case in the illustrated embodiment, said edges will be tightly driven one into another when the successive parts are being laid. After the part 6 has thus been firmly pressed against the part 5 the layer of paper 4 may be pulled out from under the part 6, as a result of which the part 6 comes in direct contact with the adhesive layer 3 and is thus adhered to the layer 2. The next part of the floor may be provided in a similar manner again, so that eventually all the parts are adhered, tightly butting against each other, to the taut layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material. It will be apparent that thus the laying of the floor parts 5, 6 can be achieved in a simple and quick manner, whilst said floor parts will be pulled together under tension by the layer 2 consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, possibly after the adhesive strips have been removed from under said layer. With floors consisting of wooden parts 5, 6 the wooden parts usually have a low moisture content on being supplied. As a result of this said parts, once laid, will be subject to swelling because generally their moisture content will increase, as a result of which said parts will butt even more tightly together. Even though the above description refers to wooden parts 5, 6, it will be apparent that said parts may also consist of another material, for example of plastic material, cork or the like, whilst said parts may also have different shapes and do not necessarily have to be elongated planks. Surprisingly it has appeared that when the construction according to the invention is used, a considerable improvement with regard to preventing annoying air and contact noises is achieved in comparison with known construction, whilst furthermore advantageous thermal properties are obtained.

Claims: A method of laying a floor comprising placing a layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material on a subfloor (1), and thereafter successively glueing onto said layer an upper layer built up of a plurality of parts (5, 6) with abutting edges, characterised in that the elastic and/or resilient material layer (2) is installed on the subfloor (1) in the tautened condition whereafter said parts (5, 6) are glued on said layer (2). A method according to claim 1, characterised in that said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is at its upper side provided with an adhesive layer (3) covered by paper (4) or the like material, which is removed over part of said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material prior to laying a first part (5) of the upper layer on said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material and which is folded back prior to said first part (5) of the upper layer being laid on said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, after which the next part (6) of the upper layer is laid on the folded-back layer of paper (4) and is pressed against the first part (5) of the upper layer so as to butt tightly against said first part (5) of the upper layer, after which said layer of paper (4) is pulled away from under said second part (6) of the upper layer. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is laid on the entire surface or on parts of the surface of the subfloor (1), for example in strips. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is at its bottom side provided with an adhesive layer, by means of which said layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material is adhered or glued to the subfloor (1). A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that use is made of a layer (2) consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, which is provided on a protective layer of paper and which is loosely provided on the subfloor (1) or only fixed with respect thereto near the sides of the subfloor.

Inventors: VAN BERS FREDERIK JOHANNES, VAN BERS, FREDERIK JOHANNES
Applicants: OSBE PARKET B V, OSBE PARKET B.V.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E04F15
IPC codes: E04F15